First few days

Hey y'all!
Sorry I have totally neglected y'all for the past few days. I have been SO busy! My family and I left with our car super packed on Thursday for Dayton and all arrived in one piece. We had all of Friday to walk around campus and see more of the town which was nice and made me less nervous about things. We also went out to dinner with my roomie and her family which was great. Saturday was move-in day and a total whirlwind. We left our hotel around 645AM and were busy practically all day and night. Even though it took quite a while to unpack everything our room looks darling. Sunday we had mass and then I went out to lunch with my parents and said goodbye. It was hard saying goodbye but I know that I'll talk to them all of the time. Sunday was a lot of ice breakers (don't you just hate those after a while?). I met a few other girls which was nice.It is kind of awkward though but I'm sure that will all change once we all get used to everything. Classes start Wednesday so I'm sure I'll meet more people then. I will try to do a dorm room picture soon!

Hope y'all had great weekends!
xx, Melissa

One Last Batch

Hi girls!
I just wanted to post real quick before I leave town for Ohio! I still cannot believe I am going to be blogging from college just a week from now! I talked to my roommate yesterday and she seems just lovely. So nice! She already moved her stuff in so she told me all about our room. It seems like our room will work out and we should be able to fit everything. I am pretty much done packing all of my stuff. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all up. How did you college girls fit it all? We are borrowing a bigger car and using one of the overhead containers so it should all fit. Keep your fingers crossed y'all!

I went out with my girlfriends tonight to say goodbye. It was quite bittersweet. Even though I know we all have so much ahead of us it still is sad to say goodbye to friends. Since I was a little bit sad I decided to bake for the last time before I go. My dorm only has a kitchenette the floor shares so I won't be baking until Thanksgiving. I decided to bake my speciality cupcakes and a batch of brownies. Both came out wonderfully and made me feel much better! Baking really does calm nerves.

AND girls, guess what? I got all of my finished monogrammed dorm stuff yesterday! It all looks DIVINE!! I really really like it! It came out even better than I imagined. I can't wait to put it all out in my dorm and use my new towels when I take a shower.


Well that's all for now, I will be back to you hopefully after move-in on Saturday! Have a great week!

xx, M

"It's not goodbye, it's see you later..."

Hi everyone,
I hope you are all having great weekends. Today is my last day of work so I am quite excited! I will have all of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to pack and get all of my last things together. It sure is a lot of stuff to pack. My mom and I packed pretty much all of the things we had bought like all of the toiletries, school supplies, and all of my folded clothes. I am planning on only bringing some summer stuff and the start of my fall clothes. My parents will be back up at the end of September so it's silly to lug all of the stuff when they can just bring it when they come later in the month. It's really starting to hit me now! I only have 4 more days until I am officially a grown-up college student! That's such a crazy thought!

My first friend left today for school. Collegiate C said her goodbyes yesterday and headed out today. We spent her last day at the beach which was nice and then went back to her house and had a delicious dinner. It was a great thing to do before we all started to leave. It's definitely a little bit sad saying goodbye to all of my best friends since so much will change once we get to school and make entirely different friends. I am excited to see how everyone changes and to go and visit them at their schools.

My backpack arrived on Thursday! It seems like it will be the perfect size and fits my laptop perfectly. I think my mom and I are going to go shopping this week to get a few last minute things. I got the new LL Bean catalog and am eyeing the darling pink and green raincoat. It will be just perfect for rainy Ohio in the Fall. I also want a pair of navy Keds. I have a pair of red ones but they got all icky inside from wearing them so often so I may try to pick up a navy pair.

Have a great Sunday!
xx,M

Question and answer time!

Hi girls!

Sorry for my lack of posts lately, I have been really busy with getting ready for school ( I leave in just one WEEK!). I cannot believe I leave in only a week! I feel like the summer as truly flown by! I am so glad I started my blog this summer and so thankful to all of you wonderful readers. It always brightens my day to read all of your lovely comments and to see I have a new follower. It's great to read your blogs and learn about new and creative things. Y'all are really wonderful! I had said in my post a few days ago that I would do a question and answer post, so here it is!

What college will you be attending this fall?
I will be going to University of Dayton in Dayton,Ohio. It is about five hours from my town so not too terribly far. As you already know, I am very excited!

What will you be studying in college?
My major is English Education. I plan on being a middle or high school English teacher. My mother is a teacher and I see just how extremely rewarding it is to make such a difference in a child's life.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Well as y'all know, I really like indie bands like Delta Spirit, Andrew Bird, Ben Folds, and Vampire Weekend but I also like all kinds of music. I like to listen to Frank Sinatra (just like Summer Wind!), Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas when working out, Coldplay, Kanye West and I love all of the OC Mix CDS.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Oh goodness, well I am TOTAL sucker for bad reality television. I DVR all of my favorites including NYC Prep, Real Housewives, Toddlers and Tiaras (it's so addicting!), and all of the bad MTV shows. Reality television is enticing!

What is your favorite store?
I would have to say my favorite store would probably be J.Crew. Most of my clothes is from J.Crew and their clothes seem to fit me the best. I love when the catalogs come and looking at them over and over again for new styling ideas. I also really like The Gap and Ann Taylor Loft. Most recently I have gotten into the LL Bean craze and just ordered a bunch of clothes for college. I sadly have never gone to a Lilly store! Can you believe that? There's only one in IL and it's very far away so all of the Lilly things I have I have gotten at either Ross or online.

What's your favorite item of clothing?
I guess I don't have one favorite item but a few that I think I will hang onto forever. My J.Crew cashmere monogrammed sweater I got for Christmas that I wear to pieces would definitely be a favorite of mine. I am a big fan of dresses and seem to buy one every time I go shopping. I also love capri's, I have them mostly every color and wear them quite often. I think they are very feminine and always look so cute.

Are you planning on rushing a sorority?
I am planning on rushing. At my school, you do not rush until second semester so I will have plenty of time to get acclimated and find which sorority fits me the best. I am hoping there is a Kappa Kappa Gamma on campus!

What is your favorite television show?
My favorite television show would definitely be Gossip Girl. I just love Blair, she is so fabulous and I also really love Chuck Bass. Blair's style is impeccable and I love all of her bows and headbands.

Do you have a boyfriend?
I do not have a boyfriend. I did not have a boyfriend all of high school actually. The boys that I went to high school with were never my type and were always very immature and into the same kind of girl. I am hoping that the boys in college will be different and I will be able to find my kind of boy. I like preppy boys, not a surpise, and boys that are nice of coarse and have good morals and get along with many types of people.

What is something you are proud of?
Well of coarse I am very proud of myself for getting into a good college. I am also proud of myself for becoming a lot braver and less square. Something my friends and I were proud of this past school year was being voted "Best Dressed" in our school's yearbook for our Blair Waldorf style. We all just about died when we found out that we all got it and it was because of our Blair style! It was very exciting!

How did you get the idea to start blogging?
I had read blogs for quite awhile before I got the idea to start my own. I used to read the Teen Vogue website and came across the blog section and that is where I first found out about blogs. I then starting reading Teen Fashionista and somehow came across Hopsy's blog. I fell in love with all of her Lilly's and her positive and creative take on life. I found many others that I loved along the way and after graduating high school decided to take the plunge and start College Belle!

I hope you learned a little something about me! Have a lovely night, only a few more days until the weekend!

xx, M

Lollapalooooooza!

Hello hello,
I had an absolutely WONDERFUL time at Lollapaloooza this weekend! It was by far the best weekend of summer. The weather was less then delightful in true Chicago fashion, but we made it through and had a great time.

We arrived in the city around 1030AM on Friday and headed over to my aunt's condo which looks over Grant Park(where Lolla was held) and got ready to head over. At that time it was just really muggy so I was in my melon cigarette pants,navy crew neck,and pullover cable knit sweater and my topsiders. Much to our dismay it started to rain the minute we got to the park. The cold and rain didn't stop for six hours!!!! My poor poor topsiders are very very muddy and may not be able to be saved. The rain and mud just demolished everyone's feet. I honestly didn't think I could get as dirty and icky as I did over the weekend! My friends and I didn't get back until 12AM on Friday and were pooped! My favorite shows on Friday were Kings of Leon and Andrew Bird, both really good.

Saturday was the start of the heat. I wore shorts this time and my gingham shirt and my older pair of J.Crew grosgrain flip flops. It was so terribly humid out that my hair quickly turned into a very very curly mess. The two best shows were Delta Spirit (y'all should check them out!) and Santigold. I absolutely loved them both! They were very fun shows full of dancing.

Sunday was by far the hottest day. It was almost 100 outside and super humid out. I was super excited though because it was the day Vampire Weekend was playing! As y'all know they are my absolute favorites! They were GREAT and every bit as good as I expected. The band was all dressed in perfectly preppy outfits, each in a different RL oxford. My friends and I fell in love with them the minute they stepped on stage. It was a wonderful show as were The Killers.

By the end of the weekend, I was pooped and a bit fried by being in the sun for two days. It was the best weekend of summer and a great thing to do with my besties before we all leave for college. I loved every minute of it and enjoyed seeing so many great bands and intersting people.

I thought it would be fun to make y'all a playlist of a few of my favorites from the weekend. Enjoy!


Creator:Santigold
People C'Mon:Delta Spirit
Starstruck: Santigold
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa: Vampire Weekend
Kate: Ben Folds
Rockin' the Suburbs: Santigold
Hang me up to dry: Cold War Kids
Summertime Clothes: Animal Collective
Mansard Roof: Vampire Weekend
Roxanne: The Knux
Myknos: Fleet Foxes
Textbook Love: Fleet Foxes
17: Kings of Leon
Jenny: The Killers

Have a lovely night!
xx, M

Lifes a changing

Hello again,

I hope y'all are having wonderful Wednesdays. I went to breakfast this morning with a few friends from high school which was lovely. Both of the girls are going to state schools in the area and are leaving in just one week for college! It really got me thinking about college and how I only have TWO more weeks left! I cannot believe the summer flew by so quickly. I am definitely starting to get a bit anxious yet very very excited. I know college will be a life changing wonderful experience and that life is really just beginning. It definitely is a bit scary though!

I have pretty much everything for my dorm room. Did I tell y'all that my roomie and I are having no other than a pink and green color scheme! I'm sure it will look darling. I cannot wait to see everything set up. Thank you Summer Wind for your wonderful hints about what to buy for college. They were all very helpful!

After careful contemplation, I have decided to just get a backpack for class. My dorm is up on top of a hill so not very centrally located. I was set on getting either a new Vera tote (the new prints are divine) or a LL Bean tote but have decided to do otherwise since I will have to carry my laptop, books and other necessary items up and down the hill and to class everyday. I am going for the classic LL Bean book bag in navy with my monogram. It will be sturdy and efficient and serve as a perfect carryall. Do you college girls use totes or backpacks?

Oh and I forgot to tell y'all where I will be this weekend! My friends and I are going to Lollapalooza! I am so terribly excited. For anyone who does not know what Lollapalooza is, it is a big concert held in Grant Park here in Chicago with about 100 or so bands. There are different stages and you can just walk around and go to the various shows. It is a 3 day event and the girls and I will be going all 3 days. Since we don't live in the city, we are staying at my aunt's second home in the city that overlooks the park. I am just so excited! It will be my first big concert and I will be able to see many of my favorites. My favorite band, Vampire Weekend (total dreamboats!) will be there as will Fleet Foxes another one of my favorites.

I won't be posting over the weekend but will try to maybe do a quick post tomorrow after work. Oh yes and I was thinking about doing a question and answer post next week to answer a few questions, do y'all have anymore questions you would like me to answer? I hope y'all have a fantastic rest of the week!

xx, M

PS: Prissy Southern Prep, may I have an invite to your blog? And congratulation BLC, what an exciting time for you!

Nantucket Gift Company giveaway!

Hi girls!
I love Summer Wind's idea to have a giveaway from Nantucket Gift Company! They have many lovely items and a ton of really adorable things for the home. I would have to say my two favorite items would be the Island Palm headband (so cute and very Lilly!) or the embroidered hand towels (perfect for the preppy home!). There are many cute items and I am so thankful to Summer Wind for the gracious giveaway!

Happy Wednesday!
xx, M

Kate Kate Kate

Kate Spade has done it yet again! Her new website is so cute! There are a ton of adorable thins on sale and many wonderful new items. Y'all should definitely check out the site!
These are my favorites...






xx, M

I'm back!

Hi girls!
I am so happy to be back to the world of blogging! I had an absolutely DIVINE trip! Arizona was really wonderful. It was quite warm (115!!) but perfect. We sunned everyday and I read three beach reads and tons of magazines! I finished Gossip of the Starlings, read Mating Rituals of a North American WASP and my summer reading book! All were very good. We went to dinner with our old friends and had many delicious meals.

And of coarse we went shopping! I was looking for a few "party" shirts so we headed to Nordstrom and Macy's. Surprisingly Macy's was a hit! I walked away with five adorable shirts all that were on sale for less than $25! I also found a darling pair of black, polka-dot cigarette pants that are really cute and were on sale for only $14! My best buy was a pair of white jean Lilly capris that I found at Ross for only... get this girls, $19!!!!! It was such a spectacular find! It was truly a shopping miracle. There were only two pairs one in a 0 and the other in my size! They fit like a glove, and I love love love them! We also stopped by J.Crew where I got a pair of pumpkin colored cigarette pants, gray bermudas, a new pair of grosgrain critter flip flops, and two really cute tortoiseshell headbands. It was definitely a successful shopping week!

Here are a few pictures from the week...

First day: My step-father and I at the airport.

Family breakfast at Marie Callendars!

My mom and I (in the Lilly capris!) after a dinner out.

The whole family after dinner at the Salt Cellar, a very East coast seafood restaurant.

Dinner at the Salt Cellar!

Enjoying delicious gelato!

After a wonderful J.Crew trip!

Before enjoying the hot AZ sun!

Wearing my favorite Lilly dress on our last night.

I hope you all had lovely weeks!
xx, M

PS: I finally found a copy of Southern Living and loved it!